The invention relates to an online processing of mail to be forwarded and methods for improving the optical code recognition of postal addresses through use of video encoding techniques.
The automatic reading of mailing addresses with the aid of optical code recognition (OCR) is a technology representing a fixture in everyday postal life. Processing rates of up to 10 items per second (36,000 items per hour) are possible with modem address readers. The reliability of the recognition depends to a large degree on the character design and the quality of the print. If the recognition is successful, a machine-readable barcode is printed on. This barcode permits the step-by-step mechanical separation of the items until the desired sorting has been achieved. The bar coding technology in particular has made possible the step-by-step sorting (multi-pass) of the items until they are sorted in the delivery sequence of the delivery person.
However, since the reading rates are so different, the automatic operation must be supported by various manual interventions. The simplest method of processing items that cannot be read is to have them rejected in the machine and to sort them by hand, using sorting cabinets. However, the costs for this type of sorting and delivery are unreasonably high, especially with increasing personnel costs. Added to this is the fact that hand-sorted items cannot be distributed automatically in any phase. Thus, two letter flows develop, which must be combined once more at some points.
In order to avoid the disadvantages of a manual sorting of items rejected in the OCR, various approaches to the manual coding of items were developed. All methods are based on service personnel typing in parts of the address, so that the target of "providing the mail with a barcode" is reached. Once the items are provided with a barcode, they can be processed in the same way as items that are provided directly with a barcode during the OCR.
The forwarding of items is a problem that has been known for a long time. Still, the majority of items nowadays are forwarded manually.
Nowadays, items with the incorrect (old) address that are to be manually forwarded are sent to the delivery person at the old delivery area. For the delivery sequence sorting of the items, the delivery person uses a distribution cabinet, for which the number of compartments equals the maximum number of delivery points in the delivery area of the delivery person. If a forwarding request is made, a forwarding reminder card with the new address is sent to the delivery person in the old delivery area.
The forwarding reminder card is deposited in the respective compartment. During the delivery sequence sorting, forwarding mail in compartments with forwarding reminder cards are not sorted in. Instead, the delivery person writes the new address onto the envelope and hands the mail over to the manual-processing location.
In systems that have been modified, the delivery person identifies letters that must be forwarded, removes these letters from the flow of letters and sends them to a central location for processing letters to be forwarded. With the aid of extraction techniques, service personnel will input the incorrect address into a computer that is connected to a central data bank. The data bank contains information on all forwarding requests and displays on the screen the new address as well as a list of names of persons who have placed forwarding requests. The service personnel then search the list for the name on the envelope. As soon as this has taken place, a new label with a new address is applied either automatically or manually. The label in this case is positioned such that the old barcode is covered. As a result, the letter can once again be read and coded automatically, along with the remaining items. The disadvantage of this method is the high manual expenditure for the processing and the fact that items to be forwarded must be separated from the normal letter flow. This results in delays and detours for items to be forwarded. (Computer Forwarding System II of the USPS).
More advanced systems use the OCR technology. In that case, items to be forwarded are again intercepted by the delivery person, are provided with stamps such as "moved, address unknown," and are sent to an automatic forwarding center. The forwarding center is provided with address readers, which automatically detect the address of the sender and that of the recipient for all items to be forwarded. The new address is determined with the aid of a forwarding data bank. The address reader can read and evaluate all comments by the delivery person, advance instructions and other features. The evaluation of the features makes it possible to decide on what to do with the items. In another automation step, a label with the new address is affixed to the mail. After the barcode has been printed on as well, the mail is again inserted into the regular flow of letters for delivery.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,821 discloses a system for forwarding incorrectly addressed items, which detects items to be forwarded in an earlier stage of the letter processing and differentiates between items that can be read by a machine and those that cannot be read by a machine.
After taking a picture of the address side of the mail, including the digitizing, the name and address of the recipient are read by means of an OCR reader. Following that, the ZIP code of the distribution location is determined in an USPS ZIP+4 database. Subsequently, it is determined in an USPS National Change of Address (NCOA) database whether any forwarding requests have been entered. At the same time, written forwarding instructions on the items are evaluated automatically. During the time required for determining the correct address, the items are located in a mechanical delay loop/intermediate storage. If the address, including the ZIP+4 Code cannot be determined automatically during the time the respective mail spends in the delay loop, the images are stored with an identification number. This ID Number is subsequently printed onto the mail as a barcode and the further processing occurs off-line with the aid of video coding in the above-described manner, wherein these items must be removed from the flow of items and collected in a special sorting compartment. If the correct address is determined during the time the respective mail spends in the delay loop, then a label is applied to the incorrect address, onto which the new address is printed. A barcode sorter subsequently distributes the items on the basis of the printed-on new barcode. This operation takes place on line.